Blessed Marie Deluil-Martiny

Also known as

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The oldest of five children (she had one brother and three sisters) born to upper middle class parents; she was baptized on the day of her birth. Her father was Paul Deluil-Martiny, a lawyer, and she was the great-niece of Venerable Anne–Madeleine Rémuzat. Marie received a good early education from Visitation Sisters in her home town, and then the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Lyons, France. She made her First Communion on 22 December 1853, and received Confirmation on 29 January 1854; Saint Eugène de Mazenod assisted at the Confirmation. At age 15, she and some like-minded school friends started a group and called themselves the Oblates of Mary; while it indicated a devotion, their teachers stopped it immediately as there was a risk of them deviating from orthodox Christianity without proper leadership.

Marie began to understand that she had a call to religious life; she starting keeping a spiritual journal, and when she was of age, turned down several marriage proposals. She heard Saint John Marie Vianney preach, and later met with him to discuss her vocation; he encouraged her to follow the call. On 9 March 1864, Marie founded the Guard of Honour of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Association of Presence to the Heart of Jesus, which promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist; it received canonical status on 7 June 1872. In June 1865 as part of her work with the Guard of Honour, she met, befriended and inspired Saint Daniel Comboni in his missionary work; they corresponded for years. In December 1866, while on a spiritual retreat conducted in honour of the beatification of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Marie heard Father Jean Calage preach on the Sacred Heart; she explained her call to religious life to him, and he became her spiritual director.

On 20 June 1873, with the help of Father Calage, Marie founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus in Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium with a mission to promote devotion the Sacred Heart, and to pray continuously for priests. Their constitution, based on the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was completed in 1875, they received diocesan approval on 2 February 1876 from Cardinal Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps, Marie and the first sisters made their vows on 22 August 1878, and Sister Marie served as the group’s superior the rest of her life. They established the first convent on 24 June 1879, received a papal decree of praise on 25 February 1888, was granted full papal approval of Pope Leo XIII on 2 February 1902, and continue their good work today in Belgium, France, Austria, Italy and Croatia. Marie saw few of these successes as she was murdered by Louis Chave, an angry, lazy, down-and-out anarchist whom Marie had hired as gardener at La Servianne in order to give him a chance at a better life.

Born

28 May 1841 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France as Marie-Caroline-Philomène Deluil-Martiny

Died

• shot twice at point-blank range with a revolver, damaging her carotid artery, on Ash Wednesday, 27 February 1884 in La Servianne, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
• buried with family in Marseille
• re-interred at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium in 1899 when the Daughters were expelled from France
• relics exhumed and inspected on 4 March 1989 as part of the canonization investigation
• re-interred at the mother-house of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus in Rome, Italy on 28 September 2013

Beatified

22 October 1989 by Pope John Paul II

Patronage

Daughters of the Heart of Jesus

Readings

Let us hasten the triumph of Christ over hell and the hostile powers through prayer and sacrifice. – Blessed Marie

What deep sorrow seizes one at the sight of the ever-increasing godlessness of our time and the seducing triumphs of anti-Christian societies. Oh, could I but expiate with my blood those insults offered to the Divine Majesty! – Blessed Marie

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The only child of Joseph Sebastian Brader and Maria Anna Carolina Zahner. Raised in a pious family, she was known as a highly intelligent child, and received the best education her parents could provide. There were high expectations for the girl's future, but instead of continued study she felt a call to the religious life. Mary Josephine joined the Franciscan convent at Maria Hilf, Alstatten 1 October 1880, taking the name Mary Charity of the Love of the Holy Spirit, and making her final vows on 22 August 1882.

She was initially assigned as a teacher. When it became possible for cloistered nuns to work as missionaries, Sister Caritas volunteered to be one of the first six sisters to work in Chone, Ecuador in 1888. She worked for five years as a teacher and children's catechist. In 1893 she was transferred to Tùquerres, Colombia where conditions were rough but where she taught the faith to the poor and outcast.

To prepare additional missionaries she founded the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate in Tuquerres, Colombia on 31 March 1893. Initially composes of young Swiss girls with a call to missionary work, they were soon joined by Colombian and other local women. Caritas served as Superior General for the Congregation from 1893 to 1919, and again from 1928 to 1940. The Sisters emphasized good education for themselves and their charges, and deep prayer lives for everyone. They received papal approval in 1933, and today work in Central and South America, Mexico, Switzerland, Mali, Romania and the United States.

Born

Died

• 27 February 1943 in Pasto, Colombia of natural causes
• her grave immediately became a site for pilgrimage and popular devotion

Beatified

23 March 2003 by Pope John Paul II

Readings

It is His will - Blessed Caritas

The better educated, the greater the skills the educator possesses, the more she will be able to do for our holy religion and the glory of God, especially when virtue is the vanguard of her knowledge. The more intense and visible her external activity, the deeper and more fervent her interior life must be. - Blessed Caritas

See God's will in everything, and to do His will with joy, out of love of Him. - Blessed Caritas

Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Also known as

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One of thirteen children. After a youth devoted to the world and society, attending the theatre, chasing women and the hunt, he was led to the Passionist Order by Our Lady, making his profession on 22 September 1857. His life was not marked by great events or controversy, but given to prayer, sacrifice, and a devotion to Our Lady and the contemplation of her sorrows over the suffering of Jesus. Many miracles are attributed to him after his death. Cured Saint Gemma Galgani when she prayed for his intervention. Pope Benedict XV gave him as a pattern for young people.

Born

1 March 1838 at Assisi, Italy

Died

27 February 1862 at Abruzzi, Italy of tuberculosis

Canonized

13 May 1920 by Pope Benedict XV

Patronage

• Catholic Action
• clerics
• students, school children
• young people in general
• Abruzzi, Italy (proclaimed on 1 June 1964 by Pope Paul VI)

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Readings

I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God's Holy Will, not my own! - Saint Gabriel Possenti

Love Mary! She is loveable, faithful, constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a heart that wants to love her. She comes quickly and opens her merciful heart to you, embraces you and consoles and serves you. She will even be at hand to accompany you on the trip to eternity. - Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother

Saint Gregory of Narek3>

Also known as

Additional Memorials

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Grigor, the son of Bishop Khosrov Andzevatsi, was descended from a line of scholars and churchmen, and was educated by his father and Anania Vartabed, abbess of Narek monastery. He and both his brothers became monks as young men. Gregory excelled in music, astronomy, geometry, mathematics, literature and theology. He was ordained a priest in 977 in his mid-20's. He lived most of his life in the Narek monastery, where, for his entire adult life, he taught theology in the monastic school. His writings began with a commentary on the Song of Songs, which was commissioned by an Armenian prince, but continued through his life with letters, poems, hymns, music, and essays. Many of his prayers are included in the Divine Liturgy celebrated each Sunday in Armenian Churches around the world, and his masterpiece is considered to be his Book of Lamentations, which has a theme of man's separation from God, and his quest to reunite with Him; it has been translated into at least 30 languages. He is one of the greatest figures of medieval Armenian religious thought and literature, and has been declared a Doctor of the Universal Church.

Born

c.950 in Andzevatsik, Kingdom of Vaspurakan, Armenia (in modern Turkey)

Died

• c.1005 at the monastery of Narek, on the southern shores of Lake Van, Armenia (in modern Turkey) of natural causes
• buried in the Narek monastery
• a chapel was built on his tomb
• the monastery and chapel were destroyed by Turkish authorities in the mid-20th-century, and a mosque was built over the site

Canonized

equipollent canonization and proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church on 12 April 2015 by Pope Francis at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy

Saint Anne Line

Also known as

• Anne Higham
• Anne Lyne

Additional Memorial

25 October as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

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Born the daughter of a wealthy and ardent Calvinist. When she and her brother converted to Catholicism, they were disowned and disinherited. Anne married another convert, Roger Line, who was soon arrested for attending Mass, then exiled to Flanders, Belgium where he died in 1594.

When Father John Gerard established a house of refuge for priests in London, England, Anne was put in charge. Father Gerard was sent to the Tower of London, and then escaped in 1597. The authorities suspected Anne of hiding him, and she moved to another house, which became a rallying point for Catholics. On Candlemas, 1601, Father Francis Page was about to celebrate Mass there, when priest-catchers broke in. Father Page quickly unvested and mingled with the others, but the altar was all the evidence needed to arrest Anne. She was tried, convicted and hanged for harbouring priests. Martyred with Blessed Mark Barkworth, and her friend Blessed Roger Filcock. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Canonized

Patronage

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Blessed Mark Barkworth

Also known as

• George Barkworth
• Mark Lambert

Additional Memorials

• 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai
• 1 December as one of the Martyrs of Oxford University

Profile

Described as a tall, burly man, always cheerful, even in the sufferings of his later life. Studied at Oxford University. Convert to Catholicism, joining the Church at Douai, France in 1594. Studied at English College, Rome, Italy starting on 16 December 1596, and then at the Royal College of Saint Alban in Valladolid, Spain. While on the road to Spain he had a vision; Saint Benedict of Nursia appeared to him and told he would die a Benedictine and a martyr. Ordained in 1599. Benedictine Oblate. He returned to England with Saint Thomas Garnet to minister to covert Catholics. He was arrested, spent several months in prison, and was finally condemned for the crime of being a priest. Martyred with Blessed Roger Filcock and Saint Anne Line, the first Benedictine to die after the suppression of their monasteries.

Born

c.1572 in Lincolnshire, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 27 February 1601 at Tyburn, London, England

Beatified

15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

Readings

I am come here to die, being a Catholic, a priest, and a religious man, belonging to the Order of Saint Benedict; it was by this same order that England was converted. - Blessed Mark, to the crowd gathered to watch his execution

Ah, sister, thou hast got the start of us, but we will follow thee as quickly as we may. - Blessed Mark, speaking at his execution to Saint Anne Line who had just died

Blessed Francinaina Cirer-Carbonell

Also known as

• Francinaina of the Sorrowful Mother of God
• Saint of Sencelles

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Youngest of six children born to Paulo Cirer and Joan Carbonell, Francinaina grew up in a pious home. She received no formal education, and never learned to read or write. She was Confirmed in 1788 at age 7, made her first Communion in 1791 at age 10. She became a Franciscan Tertiary in 1798 when she was 17. She felt a call to the religious life, but family obligations kept her at home, so she simply helped the poor, taught catechism, visited the sick, and did other works of mercy as a committed lay person. She joined the Brotherhood of the Holy Sacrament in her parish in 1813. People noticed her piety and work, and sought her spiritual advice; she became noted for helping reconcile troubled marriages. On 7 December 1851, with two like-minded local women, she founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of Mallorca, taking the name Francinaina of the Sorrowful Mother of God. Known to receive visions of angels, and was once seen to levitate while in prayer.

Born

1 June 1781 in Sencelles, Mallorca, Islas Baleares, Spain

Died

27 February 1855 in Sencelles, Mallorca, Islas Baleares, Spain of a stroke

Beatified

Blessed Josep Tous Soler

Also known as

• José Tous Y Soler
• Josep de Igualada

Profile

Joined the Franciscan Capuchins at age 15, and professed his vows on 19 February 1828. Josep was ordained on 24 May 1834 in Barcelona, Spain; two months later, amidst anti-clerical violence in Catalonia, he was exiled from Spain and spent the next nine years ministering in France. He was able to return to Spain in 1843, but the government had outlawed religious orders, and Father Josep spent the rest of his life as a parish priest; he tried always to live his Franciscan ideals. In 1850 he led a group of young women who, on 22 December 1858, would become the Capuchin Sisters of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd, a congregation devoted to pastoral care and teaching young children.

Born

31 March 1811 in Igualada, Barcelona, Spain

Died

27 February 1871 in Barcelona, Spain of natural causes while celebrating Mass

Blessed William Richardson

Also known as

William Anderson

Profile

Grew up in the area of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. Studied at Rheims, France, the English College, Valladolid, Spain and the College of Saint Gregory in Seville, Spain from 1592 through 1594. Ordained in 1594. He returned to England to minister to covert Catholics, often hiding under the name William Anderson. Betrayed to the authorities by a friend, he was arrested and condemned to death for the crime of priesthood. He was the final martyr in the persecutions of Queen Elizabeth I; he prayed for her just before he died.

Born

Wales

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 27 February 1603 at Tyburn, London, England

Beatified

Saint Honorina

Also known as

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One of the earliest martyrs in Gaul (modern France). Her cultus in Normandy goes back to the beginning of the Church, but her Acts have been lost, and no details are known.

Died

• in Gaul (modern France)
• relics transferred to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine near Paris, France in the 9th century to protect them from Norse invaders
• relics re-enshrined at the church of Saint Honorina c.1085
• relics accorded formal recognition in 1250
• relics re-enshrined in the chapel of Saint-Honorina at the church of Saint-Maclou in 1801

Patronage

Blessed Roger Filcock

Also known as

Arthur Nayler

Additional Memorials

• 22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales
• 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

Profile

Educated at Rheims, France and Valladolid, Spain. Ordained in Valladolid c.1597. He returned to England in 1598 to minister to covert Catholics. Jesuit. Friend of Saint Anne Line. Arrested and condemned for the crime of priesthood. Died with Saint Anne Line and Blessed Mark Barkworth. Martyr.

Born

c.1570 in Sandwich, Kent, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 27 February 1601 at Tyburn, London, England

Beatified

Saint John of Gorze

Also known as

• Jean de Gorze
• John of Lorraine

Profile

Born to a wealthy family. Studied at the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Mihiel in Metz, France. Reputed to have a prodigious memory, what today was would call “photographic”. Administrator of landed estates. Pilgrim to Rome, Italy. Spent some time at the Monte Cassino Abbey Benedictine monk at Gorze Abbey in 933. Ambassador for Emperor Otto II to the Caliph Abd-er-Rahman of Cordoba, Spain for two years. Abbot at Gorze in 960. Noted as a wise and gentle reformer.

Died

Patronage

Representation

Blessed Luke of Messina

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Twelfth-century monk at a Greek-rite monastery in southern Calabria, Italy. Around 1130 he lead a dozen monks to the new San Salvatore monastery in Messina on Sicily, finished its construction, served as its first abbot, and made it the mother-house of a number of monasteries throughout Sicily and Calabria.

Died

Saint Julian of Alexandria

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Summoned by authorities to answer a charge of Christianity in the persecutions of Decius, Julian was too crippled with gout to walk there. He was carried to court by two Christian servants, one of whom apostacized; the other was Saint Cronion Eunus. Martyred with Saint Cronion and Saint Besas of Alexandria. Their story is recorded by Saint Dionysius of Alexandria.

Died

scourged, dragged throough the city by a camel and burned to death in 249 at Alexandria, Egypt

Blessed Jacques of Valois

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Mercedarian friar, joining in Paris, France. With the support of the French crown, he was sent to Algiers, Algeria to ransom Christians enslaved by the Moors. He freed prisoners, helped the poor, performed miracles and converted many to Christianity.

Died

Saint Besas of Alexandria

Also known as

Bessa of Alexandria

Profile

Soldier. He was on duty when Saint Julian of Alexandria and Saint Cronion Eunus were being led to their deaths. When Besas tried to shield the two from spectator abuse, he was seized by the mob, and killed in the street. His story was recorded by Saint Dionysius of Alexandria.

Died

Saint Thalilaeus

Also known as

• Epiklautos ( = weeping much, as he was known to cry when moved)
• Thalelaeus

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Fifth-century hermit for 60 years, sometimes living with no shelter but a barrel, near a pagan temple outside Gabala (Gala) in modern Syria. He made it a point to speak to the people going to the temple, and converted many of them to Christianity.